“These risks can manifest in multiple forms, some of which include … increased competition over water resources across sectors and uses, including potential risk of conflicts within and among the Member States over transboundary water resources,” the draft states.
Some regions are already bickering over supplies. In Spain, drought-stricken Catalonia is trying to persuade the Spanish central government to divert river water from neighboring Aragón, fanning political tensions. France last year saw violent clashes over water reservoir plans.
The Commission’s missive will accompany the first-ever European Climate Risk Assessment, a comprehensive European Environment Agency (EEA) report set for release on Monday.
An increase in water extremes such as floods and droughts is only one of the climate threats facing Europe. The EEA assessment “identified 36 key risks for Europe, several of them already at catastrophic levels and of high urgency,” the Commission document says, without providing further detail.
In general, the Commission says, the EU can expect “more disasters such as droughts, floods, wildfires, diseases, crop failures, heat deaths, infrastructure damage, and structural changes to the environment” — but warns that the bloc isn’t planning for those risks.
“Both the EU and its Member States must become significantly better at preparing for and effectively addressing climate risks,” the document says, cautioning that even when there are policies in place, “implementation currently falls short of providing reasonable assurance.”
